A surprising result of a poll by website The Motor Report has shown that the impending release of electric cars into the Australian market may not meet the buyer resistance some may be expecting.

Of the 1009 respondents to the poll, 44% indicated that they would consider the purchase of an electric car if priced competitively.Nissan Leaf

Equally surprising, a further 9% indicated a preparedness to pay a premium for an all-electric car because of the environmental benefits.

“While this may not necessarily translate into immediate sales success for companies soon to release all-electric cars into this market, it shows quite a high level of awareness and that buyers are ‘warm’ to the technology,” The Motor Report director Tim O’Brien says.

“Because a car is such a significant purchase, car buyers tend to be cautious and even a little suspicious until a technology is proven. Toyota’s Prius and Honda’s Civic Hybrid have taken some years to gain traction in this market and to overcome early fears about battery life.

“However, The Motor Report poll results, drawn from a statistically relevant sample of readers, will be encouraging for Mitsubishi, Nissan and others planning all-electric vehicle releases.

“It will also be encouraging for infrastructure providers, Better Place and AGL.

“Of course, with 21% of respondents to the poll indicating that they would “never purchase an electric car no matter what the price and driving range”, there is clearly a solid resistant block in the market.

“But we expected this percentage to be greater. It is comparatively small given the relatively scant details available about electric cars and the way they drive.

“The key for manufacturers will be in the pricing of the vehicles and the availability of charging infrastructure. If manufacturers can get that right, we may be sharing the roads with significant numbers of all-electric cars much earlier than we thought,” O’Brien says.

“It would seem the market is ready.”
More room for natural gas vehicles
Natural gas powered motor vehicles are not being taken up in Australia with the same enthusiasm as other countries, according to Australian Pipeline Industry Association (APIA) president Ashley Kellett.

The growth in natural gas vehicles in Europe, the sub-continent and the Americas has been dramatic, with an objective of a nearly seven-fold increase by 2020 says Kellett

Kellett was speaking at the APIA conference in Cairns after returning from the World Gas Conference in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

“Transportation contributes about 14% of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and 50% of this is due to cars.

“When you consider where our major pipelines run and then consider where our major transportation corridors are situated, why aren’t we thinking more about natural gas vehicles?” Kellett asks.

source: Autofile